Now main streets whitewashed windows and vacant stores Seems like there ain't nobody wants to come down here no more They're closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they ain't coming back to Your hometown, your hometown, your hometown, your hometown --Bruce Springsteen, Hometown (1984) While the circumstances in my hometown might not be as dire as the ones Bruce describes, the stakes are certainly as high. A large factory closing years ago never fully replaced, a devastating flood, empty storefronts, the Wal-Mart effect, all are signs and contributing factors to the changing landscape of the town in which I grew up and currently reside. In spite of these conditions, hope remains. A new Armed Forces Reserve Center's construction holds the promise of a boost to the local economy, locally owned and managed restaurants are often full, and the possible construction of a new public library, provide examples of a small town on the verge of a rebirth. However, such progress is not without controversy. Perhaps the most contentious rhetoric revolves around a new library. Following the story of the new library in the local paper, there appear to be two separate discussion points. The first is whether or not to even build a new library, as the current one could simply be renovated. The second is where a possible new library should be located. While the minutiae of the discussions are not important here, what is important is how this situation illuminates insights into spatial theory and, more specifically, Edward Soja's (2010) Seeking Spatial Justice. Indeed, such juxtaposition offers a starting point for a much larger discussion revolving around putting theory into practice and the difficulties that lie therein. The library has come to represent much more than a building as the discourse surrounding it touches on city planning, small town America, class, government services, and education. Until recently, the location was between two sites, one in the town's (as much as a small town can have a downtown) and the other near the interstate where most of the commercial real estate and the high school is located. Proponents of the downtown location say that a new library could be the centerpiece of a revitalization of downtown, which is sorely needed. Others say that a downtown location would severely limit the library's accessibility for those who need its services the most (The library board has since decided to only focus its energies on securing the downtown location). All of this back and forth might be moot if the public cannot be convinced that a new library should be built at all as the decision is up for public referendum. My hometown's new library was at the forefront of my mind as I read Soja's work. While Soja's examples are of a much larger scale than mine, at their core, they serve the same purpose. That is, how space socially and politically works upon people and vice versa. He writes: This definitive struggle over geography can be best understood from an assertive spatial perspective, one that emphasizes what can be described as the explanatory power of the consequential geographies of justice. Stated differently, these consequential geographies are not just the outcome of social and political processes, they are also a dynamic force affecting these processes in significant ways. (p. 2) Indeed, the essential part of this book is Soja's ability to ground spatial theory in the material, showing practical examples of how space and urban planning work upon people. Soja's aim with this book is twofold. The first is clearly stated in the title of the book itself. Soja is looking to stake out a firm starting place to seek and strive for social justice, specifically in spatial terms. However, to do so, he reasserts what seems to be the overall project of his work, to think and theorize spatially as a needed addition to other modes of social critique. …